Tag Archives: the wake of ares

In the wake of the god of war, it’s time to join this excellent Austrian band to the sound of their warlike old school Death Metal.

Fans of Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Entombed and old school Death Metal in general will love the violence found in The Wake Of Ares, the brand new full-length album by Austrian Death Metal band Infected Chaos. With an amazing artwork by JL Rey (Phlegeton Art Studio), and dealing with controversial topics such as suppression, slavery, gaining strength and revolting against it, The Wake Of Ares will surely awake that “spirit of war” inside you with its ruthless onrush of extreme music.

I don’t know exactly if this can be considered a concept album or not, as according to this Vils-based band the album title can be interpreted on two levels: the first related to Ares, the Greek god of war and the son of Zeus and Hera who usually represents the physical or violent and untamed aspect of war, being the supreme god of what the band calls the “blooddawn resistance”, while the second is a direct statement from Infected Chaos telling the world they are here to stay and, obviously, to crush each and every living creature that crosses their path.

I have already used the expression “calm before the storm” here at The Headbanging Moose before, and I have to apply that once again to the intro Rotting In Chains, with its occult atmosphere and eerie voices in the background, opening the gates for the brutal Death Metal tune Devours The Light to come crushing your soul. The deep growls by Christian Fischer are exactly what a Death Metal band needs, enhanced by the album’s clean and powerful production. Moreover, this song will make you go crazy into the circle pit, with the impressive bass lines by Florian Betz (who’s probably a huge fan of Alex Webster) together with its more melodic parts providing a great balance between harmony and cruelty. Ninth Circle, a song about death (or how the Ancient Greek people could have seen it) that begins as violent as the previous track, shows us that when Infected Chaos slow down they get fuckin’ heavy as hell, with drummer Christoph Raggl being completely merciless behind his drum set.

Christian’s vocals get darker and more demonic in Arson Anthem, where the guitar duo composed by Martin Hartmann and Matthias Mayr delivers pure Death Metal through their fierce riffs and solos, while Wolves In Thy Pantheon has a Cannibal Corpse vibe that makes it even more violent and amazing. Its riffs and blast beats reach a higher level of destruction, enhanced by some excellent guitar solos and background chants that add even more excitement to the song. The next track, Code Of IC, is just a simple declaration of love to Death Metal according to the band members themselves (by the way, IC is the acronym for Infected Chaos in case you haven’t noticed that yet), and they do it the most brutal way possible with an incredible assault of deep growls, nonstop drumming and huge doses of anarchy through its riffs and lyrics.

Awaking Into Nightmare is a more introspective song that deals with a huge issue Christian had to face in 2013. Musically speaking, it keeps the album at a high level with more of the berserk sonic demolition proposed by the whole band, just like what happens in Strike From The Sky, where it actually feels like Infected Chaos come striking from the sky (or maybe from hell) with a feast of traditional Death Metal riffs and beats, perfect for breaking your neck. Then we have IA, God Of War, another great display of the skills by Florian on bass guitar and with a musicality slightly different from the rest of the album, focusing on more modern and metallic elements.

The final triad of Death Metal in The Wake Of Ares starts with The Silent Monolith, where once again the band invests in a sonority similar to the latest Cannibal Corpse albums, with an exciting rhythm tailored for banging your head on the front row during their live performances, followed by the sickest of all tracks, Blooddawn Resistance, a fictional underground movement created by Infected Chaos. I would love to see them playing this song live, as it’s the best of the album in my humble opinion and a flawless display of Death Metal where the whole band is kicking fuckin’ ass, in special frontman Christian for leading the “resistance” with an awesome vocal performance. And closing the album we have a song that its name says it all: The Sea Of Grief evokes darkness in a truly hellish and melancholic way, with even its guitar solos transpiring melancholy and sorrow.

To sum up, Infected Chaos are summoning all of you to join their “resistance” through their Facebook page, SoundCloud, BandCamp and at the Metal Music Austria official webstore with The Wake Of Ares, a great album perfect for all headbangers who love high levels of ferocity amidst a professional and thrilling sounding. In the wake of the god of war, it’s time we all join those Austrian metalheads to the sound of their uprising warlike Death Metal.

Best moments of the album:Wolves In Thy Pantheon, Code Of IC and Blooddawn Resistance.